Entertainment

'So You Think You Can Dance': Top 20 start show, only 18 will dance next week

By Jacquie Oliverius

Correspondent

Posted:
07/02/2013 11:59:34 PM PDT

Updated:
07/03/2013 10:47:52 AM PDT

Last week, I thought I could watch "So You Think You Can Dance" and be able to separate the great dancers from the also-rans. To my surprise and confusion, there were so many terrific dancers on Season 10 that I'm having a tough time picking who might be at the bottom and eliminated this week. First thing out of the box, all of the dancers are asked to line up after their intro dances to find out who is in jeopardy.

Head judge Nigel Lythgoe names the three girls and three guys who were the least favorite to the voting viewers -- Makenzie, Mariah and Brittany; Alan, Jade and Carlos. After saying that it's the first time that the eliminations are being done at the start of the show, he asked if the dancers could do the show's routine they had prepared with their partners, even if they were eliminated. Wow -- all of them said they could. Nigel then told Makenzie and Alan that they were both safe to continue on, but for the other four -- it was time to dance (dum, dum, dum) for their lives.

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If those solos were meant to save their lives, we might be looking at four vacancies instead of just two. Maybe they were all so scared that they couldn't pull it together -- the routines were short but not so sweet. To my surprise, Nigel felt the same way, saying that he was somewhat disappointed in the solos. But using all kinds of input, he announced that Carlos and Brittany were heading home after the show. Host Cat Deeley quickly asked for applause for Jade and Mariah, the survivors.

Cat's outfit -- dangly green earrings, black and gold dress with bands of material in strategic places, and sexy and smoldering eye makeup -- should have given the clue that all of the routines tonight were, to quote the judges, naughty. Maybe it's the heat wave that the West Coast and Southwest are enduring that heated up the show's choreographers.

The guest judge tonight was Christina Applegate and, like last season, she had a lot of great insights and advice for the dancers, mixed with the right amount of gushing. Although the judges generally raved about the routines, I was a little disappointed after the first week's awesome dances.

Jazz with Hayley and Curtis

Curtis was supposed to be a "bad boy" and Hayley was supposed to be equally bad, but she had an easier time with the sexy, slinky moves than Curtis, who still seems like a little kid to me. But he gave the routine 110 percent and pulled it off. While Nigel said Curtis did well, he couldn't take his eyes off Hayley -- sometimes Nigel sounds like a dirty old man! Christina told the pair that they could have been more fluid, but that she liked the routine, and Mary loved it.

Lyrical hip-hop with Jasmine H. and Aaron

In this "NappyTabs" routine, both Jasmine and Aaron were able to keep up with the fast moves and intricate style. The story is about a guy who comes back to the girl, thinking to take up where they left off, and after a few hot and heavy moves, she sends him on his way. Mary thanked the pair for the chemistry lesson -- they really do read each other well -- and wondered if the show's rating had changed to "R" for the night. First, Christina threw away her notes from the rehearsal and then told them how good the routine was, and Nigel said he totally believed both dancers in the storyline. Then he threw out the night's plug for Dance Day.

Bollywood with Malece and Jade

First, I heard that Jade was in the bottom three guys, then I found out he got Bollywood -- who has it in for him? But for all its weirdness, both Jade and Malece did a good job with the routine, even if they seemed kind of tired at the end. Aren't there enough different dance styles without including this? Nigel scolded Jade a bit, saying that he had to do a better job if he has to dance for his life again, but then said he was shocked at how well Jade picked up the complicated choreography. Christina told Jade that because he was in the bottom, he has to work harder than everyone and that both dancers did a commendable job. Mary added that Jade looked like he was having a good time.

Contemporary with Alexis and Nico

I was sure that last week's so-so hip-hip would put this couple in the bottom, but I was wrong. Oh well. Tonight's routine was a 100 percent improvement, but they still seem a bit disconnected. Nigel thought that Nico did a great job, and that while Alexis did OK, she will need to work harder ... since she is a tapper. Mary thought they were uninhibited and showed a real honesty. Christina caught some changes Nico made since rehearsal and told him they were good moves, and commented on the couple's grace and beauty.

My gripe throughout the show was the way all three judges kept referring to the style each dancer is being labeled -- tapper, animator, ballroom, whatever -- instead of just judging what they did tonight.

Broadway with Brittany and BluPrint

I don't know if it was because Brittany had already been sent packing or because BluPrint was so far out of his comfort zone, but this routine just didn't work for me. For a fun Broadway style, this lacked any exuberance and excitement. Mary thought it was a fun, light-hearted number and said although BluPrint did a fine job, he has to pick it up and dig deeper to find the right moves. Christina commended Brittany for supporting her partner, and Nigel echoed Mary by telling BluPrint that he had to "believe in what you're selling."

Ballroom with Jasmine M. and Alan

This was one of my favorite routines of the night. Jasmine was sexy and Alan was smooth, especially with all of the lifts. At the end of the dance, both Mary and Christina gave them a standing ovation, one of the few of the show. Nigel said he was shocked that Alan was in the bottom three, and that he did an incredible job this week. He also made a remark about how much he liked Jasmine's sexy dress. Hmmm. Mary thought the routine was very sexy and very passionate and that Jasmine was smoldering.

Jazz with Makenzie and Paul

After getting the dickens scared out of her by being in the bottom, Makenzie did an awesome job with Paul in a routine that was another of my favorites. Very creative moves mixed with just the right chemistry lit up the stage. Nigel once more went on about how he was shocked that Makenzie was in the bottom three, and thought tonight's routine was sexy and a bit naughty. Mary loved it all and thought Paul was terrific, while Christina said Paul was sexy. She did caution him to loosen up his carriage for the show's routines, as opposed to his more-rigid ballroom style.

Contemporary with Mariah and Carlos

Here we go again -- dancer going home does outstanding job while judges say how shocked they are. Sigh. Carlos really did an outstanding job with the routine, showing a lot of emotion. Mary said that Carlos' leaving was America's loss, and Christina said, "America got it wrong." So there, viewers! It was a very emotional performance and both dancers did a great job.

Hip-hop with Amy and Fik-Shun

This NappyTabs routine is right up Fik-Shun's alley, so Amy really needed to ramp it up. And she does and it's the third of my favorite performances. As two bellhops in a hotel having a great time goofing off, Amy and Fik-Shun pulled off some amazing moves while they seem to be having a great time. This couple ought to dance last each week so no one has to try to follow them. Christina thinks it was so much fun and while Fik-Shun is special, Amy lifts his dance ability, to which he quickly agrees. Nigel thinks that the pair's personalities really show when they dance and that if they continue, they could be in the finale. Mary agrees that they are adorable.

Cha-cha with Jenna and Tucker

It's another sexy number, but I kept waiting for some cha-cha steps and was disappointed. It was clever and really highlighted Jenna. Mary praised Jenna, but told Tucker he was going to have to pick it up to stay. Christina said the number was thoroughly entertaining, but Nigel said he was going to be "Debbie Downer." Like me, he said there was not enough cha-cha, but that it wasn't the fault of the dancers. He said they had done just what they were told to do and just like that, he really slammed the choreography of Dmitry Chaplin. Nigel even said it needed some moves from "Dancing With the Stars."

Although I felt that the dancing tonight was not as strong, exciting and generally awesome as last week's routines, almost everyone did a terrific job. This is a strong season, from the incredibly talented dancers to the comments by the judges and guest judges. It's just going to make it harder and harder to see dancers be sent home. Which routines did you like best? Who do you think was the weakest and should be eliminated? Did you think the right people were sent home tonight? See you next week for another round of outstanding dancing.